Detroit Pistons

What you missed while watching a cat fight off a black bear… Sixers 105, Nets 87: With this win Philadelphia both spoiled the Nets final home game in New Jersey after 35 years and clinched themselves a playoff spot (likely the eight seed) in the East. They controlled the game pretty much the whole way,…

This is it, our final power rankings of the season. Usually I’d have them ranked in the order I would rank championship contenders, but this year any of the top four could win a chip and I wouldn’t be surprised. Hard to rank teams at the end of the season with everyone coasting and resting…

What you missed while figuring out why ice cream causes brain freeze… Lakers 114, Thunder 106 (2OT): There was a game, too, not just an elbow. The Lakers got a win that can give them some confidence for a potential playoff meeting between these teams — but can they replicate this recipe for success? Our…

What you missed while cracking up at the Californian’s skit from Saturday Night Live (seriously, we all talk about traffic like that)…. Heat 83, Bulls 72: It was a physical, low scoring playoff-style game — and the fact the Heat won should give them some confidence. Suns 93, Clippers 90: Phoenix played desperate at the…

What you missed while tweeting your proposal to your girlfriend — for 12 hours…. Knicks 118, Celtics 110: Huge win for New York. It’s just not a blueprint easily replicated in the playoffs. The Knicks were on fire shooting against the best defense in the land — they shot 63.4 percent in the first half…

Derrick Rose vented after Charlie Villanueva bloodied his nose that he was sick of the cheap shots and hard fouls. Monday afternoon, Blake Griffin echoed he same thing, via the Orange County Register (hat tip to SLAM). “I’m definitely sick of taking hard hits,” Griffin said after the Clippers’ shootaround Monday. “…There’s a point, I…

Not even the most die-hard Kentucky fan — say, Ashley Judd — really thought Anthony Davis or the rest of the top players on Kentucky were coming back for another year. That will become reality Tuesday when Davis (the lock No. 1 overall pick and likely franchise player) as well as Terrence Jones, Michael Kidd-Gilchrist,…

Derrick Rose looked more like he had been in a Blackhawks playoff game than a relatively meaningless, end-of-the-regular season Bulls game. Rose drove the lane in the fourth quarter and journeyman forward Charlie Villanueva gave Rose a hard foul — right across the bridge of his nose. Rose was bloodied, Villanueva got a flagrant foul…

What you missed while going on Craigslist to try and find the guy who got you pregnant at that Motorhead concert…. Heat 93, Knicks 85: This potential first-round matchup proved that the Heat’s three stars — they accounted for all but 20 of the Heat’s points on the day — were better than the Knicks…

You can argue if you want the Bulls should not have had to work this hard to put the Pistons away, but there are just days like that in the NBA. Plus, the Pistons will put up a fight at home, have a few quality players and are really the best bad team in the…

What you missed while debating if you would give up sex for internet access… Bulls 96, Heat 86 (OT): Neither team looked like a playoff title contender, but this win moves the Bulls four games up on the Heat and pretty much cements them in as the top seed in the East. Our own Brett…

Here is our daily look around the NBA — links to stories worth reading and notes to check out (stuff that did not get its own post here at PBT) — done in bullet point form. Because bloggers love bullet points. • Could the Golden State Warriors be eyeing Lamar Odom when he eventually gets…

Great Britain is not a basketball powerhouse. But as the Olympic games are in London this year their usually forgotten national basketball team — overshadowed by the likes of Spain, France and Greece — gets a spot in the big dance. British hoopsters are Olympics bound. And they will have three NBA players on the…

Here is our daily look around the NBA — links to stories worth reading and notes to check out (stuff that did not get its own post here at PBT) — done in bullet point form. Because bloggers love bullet points. • Boston may look like they have a firm grip on the top spot…

Can you picture a San Antonio vs. Miami finals? It’s not that hard, if you try. 1. Spurs (40-14, last week ranked number 2). Eleven wins in a row and they are percentage points ahead of the Thunder (and one ahead of them in the loss column). Are they title contenders? They have four rings…

This has nothing to do with his ongoing issues with coach Stan Van Gundy and everything to do with his ongoing problem with back spasms. Dwight Howard will not play for the Magic Monday night when they take on the Pistons (and a quality young center in Greg Monroe), the team announced. Howard is questionable…

Here is our daily look around the NBA — links to stories worth reading and notes to check out (stuff that did not get its own post here at PBT) — done in bullet point form. Because bloggers love bullet points. • After missing 15 games with a bacterial infection, Kyle Lowry was back in…

What you missed while watching your kid freak out about the Easter Bunny… Knicks 96, Magic 80: The Knicks are feeling confident and finding their stride as the Magic are coming apart at the seams. The other key — Tyson Chandler is one of the few centers who can match up with Dwight Howard. It…

What you missed while watching Baylor win the national title and thinking Brittney Griner can flat out ball…. Heat 99, Sixers 93: The Heat needed a win and they had LeBron James in a scoring mood — those things go together like Oreos and milk for Miami. The result was James putting up a season…

Bulls fans are not going to believe it until they see him and his mask walk out on the court — and even then they may not be sure. But Richard Hamilton could return to the Bulls lineup Friday night. The Bulls are being their usually overly-cautious selves regarding discussing injuries, but here is what…

Here is our daily look around the NBA — links to stories worth reading and notes to check out (stuff that did not get its own post here at PBT) — done in bullet point form. Because bloggers love bullet points. • The Chicago Bulls are 12-5 in games Derrick Rose has missed this season.…

What you missed while tweeting pictures of your food rather than eating it… Knicks 108, Magic 86: It was pretty much a perfect storm for the Knicks, and they need more like it. We broke it all down here. Minnesota 88, Bobcats 83: Kevin Love is in full on NBA2K12 beast mode — he had…

What you missed while being freaked out by 9-pound Gambian rats…. Knicks 89, Bucks 80: It wasn’t pretty. Actually, it was put-a-bag-over-it ugly. But with this win the Knicks are far more likely to make the playoffs, and it was our game of the night. Pacers 105, Heat 90: I don’t want to go all…

We can debate how the Wizards defended this if you want, but the fact is Rodney Stuckey played it right and drained the shot that gave the Pistons a win in Washington after an impressive comeback. The Wizards blew a double-digit lead in this game, just like they have in their last three losses. Detroit……

Some shifting around near the top as the Thunder go up, the Heat drop down and the Spurs hold steady. So do the Bobcats at the bottom. It’s not March Madness, but it is March setting up for a run to the playoffs. 1. Bulls (40-10, last week ranked number 1). With an undefeated week…